Mounting for sheet feeding and inking mechanisms in printing presses



June '3 E. F. DUDLEY MOUNTING FOR SHEET FEEDING AND INKING MECHANISMS IN PRINTING PRESSES Filed March 5, 192] 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 dude/71 0)? June 3 1924.

- 3,496,454 E. F. DUDLEY MOUNTING FOR SHEET FEEDING AND lNKING MECHANISMS IN PRINTING PRESSES wawg Filed March 5, 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 i,496 ,'4 s ar ILLINOIS.

s F. DUDLEY, OE PARK, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR '1'0 MERLE PRINTING PRESS AN D FACTURING- COM-ANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF MOUN'IING FOB. SHEET FEEDING- AND INKING MECMS IN YRINTING PBFSSES.

Application filed March 3, 1921.

To all whom it may concern.

' Be it known that I, EDWARD F. DUDLEY, a citizen of the United States, residin at Oak Park, in the county of Cook and tate of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mountings for Sheet Feeding and Inking Mechanisms in. Printin Presses, of which the following is a speci cation.

This invention concerns principally the manner of mounting or supporting the sheet-feeding mechanism and ink-fountain or ink-distributionrollers and their complementary form-inking rollers in printingpresses, especially, although not restrictively,

at In order to enable the workman to have I easy access to the form, cylinder, and forminking rollers, as is more or less frequently required, the entire sheet-feeding appliance is supported on a single mounting or support hinged so that these parts may be temporarily swung out of the way in a horizontal plane, thereby giving ready approach to the other parts of the machine and rendering possible the hand feeding of the press.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the sheet transporting or conveyin part of the appliance, all of which is carrie by such single hinged mounting, comprises a paper-pile support, means to elevate the latter slowly to compensate for the gradual removal of the topmost sheets of its stack, a suction-feeder and its operating means to pick up the top sheets of the pile in succession and transport themto and deliver them on to a registration board subjected to suction and movable by suitable mechanism to re ister its sheet with suitable front and si e ides, the mechanical driving means for t ese parts, and suction means to apply the required air exhausting action on the suction-feeder and registration board.

Difierentiatin or distinguishing the form-inkingro ers and their associated vi- 5919 brator-roller from the ink-fountain and its distribution-drum and coacting ductor and other rollers, the latter group of elements are carried on a single hinged frame, turning in a horizontal plane and swinging ,during and an upper part 12 securel Serial No. 449,508.

its opening movement in a direction the opposite of that of the sheet-feedingappliance specified.

These two hinged or pivoted sheet-feeding and ink-roller mountings are so positioned and related that they may operate or open and close without conflict with one another,

the sheet-feeding appliance being firstopened, because it is outermost, whereupon the ink-fountain and its rollers may be swung away from the form-inking rollers in the opposite horizontal direction.

Thedistribution-drum in cooperative relation with the ink-fountain is'rotated by any approved means as by bevel gears, which always stay in mesh and hence are in proper cooperative relation at all times regardless of the open or closed position of the mounting, whereby,if desired, such inkdistribution drum and its related rollers may be driven to effect the proper spreading of ink thereon without throwing them into. cooperative relation with the form-inking rollers. v

The preferred embodiment of the invention. referred to above is illustrated in detail in the accompanying drawings, throughout the several views of which like reference characters are employed for the same parts.

In these drawings:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary plan view of the printing-press illustrating more particularly the hinged mountings referred to;

Figure 2 is a substantially central, longitudinal, vertical section through the print ing-press; and

Figure 3 is a detailed section illustrating the means for rotating the distributiondrum.

As is clearly indicated in these drawings, this particular printing-press includes a main-frame composed of a base portion 11 bolted or otherwise fastened together, suc frame being equipped with a vertically slidable bed 13, adapted to carry the printing-form,'actuated from a main drive-shaft 14 through suitable crank-arm and link connections 15, and a cooperating impression-cylinder 16 intermittently rotated-by the reciprocating bed in the usual way by means not shown.

Mounted on such main-frame are the form-inking rollers 17, 17 and their companion or complementary vibrator-roller 18,

the whole set being characterized as the form-inking rollers.

Such main-frame also carries the sheetdelivery mechanism 19 which in a suitable way takes the sheets from the cylinder and deposits them in a pile or stack on a delivery-board 21.

Hinged at 22 on a bracket 23 outstanding from the main-frame is an auxiliary frame 24 carrying the sheet-feeding apparatus and adapted to swing in a horizontal plane to open and closed or inoperative and operative positions.

Such mechanism includes a pile-board 25 adapted to support the stack 26 of blank paper sheets to be printed and equipped with means to automatically elevate it as the pile becomes consumed, this as well as other parts of the appliance constituting the subjects matter of co-pending patent applications as follows:

Serial Nos. 448,113, filed February 26, 1921; 449,509, filed March 3, 1921,- 449,513, filed March 3, 1921: 449,527, filed March 3, 1921; 449,528, filed March 3, 1921; 451,707, filed March 12, 1921.

Also mounted on such feeder frame are a plurality of suction-shoes 27 carried by a pair of rock-arms 28 on a shaft 29- osc1llatory in bearings on such auxiliary frame and rocked by an arm 31 fast on the shaft adapted for detachable connection by a link 32 with a crank-arm 33 on a suitably-driven drive-shaft 34 on the main-frame. One end of the link is conveniently formed as a hook 35 adapted. to takeover a pin 36 on the crank-arm thus permitting ready uncou pling of the parts.

These reciprocatory suction-shoes remove the uppermost sheets one by one from the supply pile and deliver them to or drop them on an inclined, sheet-registration feedboard 37 also mounted on the swinging frame by means of a bracket 38, and in the closed position of the frame this board is located adjacent to the impression-cylinder as is fully shown in Figure 2.

The suction in the sheet-feeder shoes is applied and controlled in any approved manner to drop the sheets at the correct moment on to the feed-board, which itself is perforated and subjected constantly to a slight suction to avoid displacement 'of the sheet thereon.

'By means not shown, such feed-board is moved to carry its adhered sheet into engagement and register with suitable front and side guides or gauges, not illustrated, the properly registered sheet being gripped to the impression-cylinder at the right moment and carried from the board.

Itwill be seen, therefore, that a complete sheet-feedimg mechanism is mounted on the hinged auxiliary frame and to swing the latter in a horizontal plane to open position all that need be done is to unhook link 32 from pin 36 and to move the parts in the desired direction.

A second supplemental frame or support 41 having a hollow vertical journal 42 oscillatory in a bearing member 43 located at the opposite side of the press from the hinged mounting of the sheet-feeder is provided whereby such support may be swung or turned in a horizontal plane into and out of operative position in a direction the opposite of the corresponding movement of the sheetfeeder support.

This second auxiliary frame carries an ink-fountain 44, an ink-distribution drum 45, and ductor and other associated rollers 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, and 52, whereby in the closed or operative position of the support and its parts the two ductor rollers 51 and 52 will be in cooperative relation to the vibrator-roller 18 and the form-inking rollers 17, 17, all three of which are mounted on the upper portion 12 of the main-frame.

The distribution-drum is on a shaft 56 revoluble in suitable hearings on the hinged frame and equipped on its protruding end with a bevel gear 57 in mesh with a horizontal bevel gear 58 on the upper end of an upright drive-shaft 59 rotatable in a bearing 61 in the journal 42, such shaft being rotated from a suitable source of power, not shown, through a worm 62 and a wormwheel 63.

hen the two hinged supports or frames are in closed or operative position, as illustrated in Figure 2, the ink-fountain frame lies inwardly of the sheet-feeder frame and in swinging in to such position it escapes the feeder frame and its hinged mounting, being locked by any appropriate means in such relation to the other parts. Then the feederframe may be turned horizontally in the opposite direction into closed position, whereupon the operating mechanism is rendered active by applying the hook shaped end of link 32 over pin 36.

In opening up the machine, link 32 is first disconnected and then the feeder mounting is swung around in a horizontal plane out of the way.

This having been done, it is possible to unlock the frame for the ink distributing mechanism and turn this to open position in a horizontal plane in the opposite direction, thus providing an unobstructed lane or path to the impression-cylinder, form, form-inking rollers, etc.

Under these circumstances there is no difficulty in feeding the cylinder by hand if desired.

Sometimes it is convenient to effect the distribution of ink by revolving the distribution-drum and its associated rollers without having them in normal position in the press, and this can be accomplished in memes the open position of the frame because the turning of the latter about its hinged mounting in no way interferes with the mechanical driving means forthe drum.

I claim:

1. In a printing-press, the combination of a main-frame, a form carrier and an impression-cylinder, means to operate said carrier and cylinder, an auxiliary support hinged to said main-frame to swing in a horizontal direction toward and from a face of said main-frame, an ink-distributing mechanism on said support, a supplemen tary support hinged to said main-frame to swing in a horizontal direction toward and from the same face of the main-frame, and a sheet-feeding mechanism on said supple- -rnental support.

2. In a printing-press, the combination of a main frame, a form-carrier and an impression-cylinder, means to operate said carrier and cylinder, an auxiliary support hinged to said main-frame to swing in a horizontal direction toward and from a face of the main-frame, a supplementary support hinged to said main-frame to swing in a horizontal direction toward and from the same face of the main-frame the opening movements of said auxiliary and supplemental supports being in opposite horizontal directions, and associated mechanisms of the printing-press co-operating with the form and impression cylinder mounted on said auxiliary and supplementary supports.

3. In a printing-press, the combination of a main-frame, a form-carrier and an impression-cylinder, means to operate said carrier and cylinder, an auxiliary support hinged to said main-frame to swing in a horizontal direction toward and from a face of the main-frame, an ink-distributing 'sion-cylinder, means to operate said carrier and cylinder, an auxiliary support hinged to said mam-frame to swing in a horizontal direction toward and from a face of said mainframe, an ink-distributing mechanism on said support, a supplementary support hinged to said main-frame to swing in a horizontal direction toward and from the same face of the main-frame, and a sheetfeeding mechanism on said su plemental support, the mountings of said auxiliary and supplemental supports causing said auxiliary support to be between the supplemental support and the main-frame in the closed positions of said supports.

5. In a printingress, the combination of a main-frame, a orm-carrier and an impression cylinder on said main-frame,

means to operate said carrier and cylinder,

horizontal opening movements of said auxiliary and supplemental supports being in opposite directions and at least in part in the same horizontal plane, the mountings of said auxiliary and supplemental supports causing said auxiliary support to be between the supplemental support and the main-frame in the closed positions of said supports.

6. In a printing-press, the combination of a main-frame, a form-carrier and an impression-cylinder, means to operate said carrier and cylinder, form-inking rollers on said frame coacting with the form, an ink fountain and associated distributing-drum and coacting ink-rollers, a hinged mounting for said ink-fountain and associated drum and rollers permitting them to beswung away from and toward the forminking rollers, and means torotate said drum and rollers, said means being operative in all positions of said mounting.

7. In a printing-press, the combination of a main-frame, a form-carrier and an im pression-cylinder, means to operate said carrier and cylinder, form-inking rollers on said frame coacting with the form, an inkfountain and associated distributing-drum and coacting ink-rollers, a hinged mounting for said ink-fountain and associated drum and rollers permitting them to beswung away from and toward the forminking rollers, means to rotate said drum and rollers, said means being operative in all positions of said mounting, a second hinged mounting, and a sheet-feeding mechanism on said second mounting.

8. In a printingress, the combination of a main-frame, a orm-carrier and an impression-cylinder, means to operate said carrier and cylinder, form-inking rollers on said frame coacting with the form, an. inkfountain and associated distributing-drum and coacting ink-rollers, a hinged mounting for said ink-fountain and associated drum and rollers permitting them to be swung away from and toward the forminking rollers, means to rotate said drum and rollers, said means being operative in more than one position of said mounting, a second hinged mounting, and a sheet-feed ing mechanism on said second mounting.

9. In a printingpress, the combination of a maint'rame. a form-carrier and an impression-cylinder, means to operate said carrier and cylinder, form-inking rollers on said frame coacting with the form, an inkfountain and associated distributing drum and coacting ink-rollers, a hinged mounting for said ink-fountain and associated drum and rollers permitting them to be swung toward and away from the form-ink ing rollers, and means to rotate said drum and rollers, said means being operative in more than one position of said mounting.

10. In a printing-press, the combination of a main-frame, a form-carrier and an impression-cylinder, means to operate said carrier and cylinder, a horizontally movable auxiliary support hinged to and near one side of said main-frame, an ink-distributing mechanism on said support, a horizontally movable supplementary support hinged to and near the oppositeside of said mainframe, and a sheet-feeding mechanism on said supplementary support, substantially as described.

11. In a printing-press, the combination of a main-frame, a form-carrier and an impression-cylinder on said main-frame, means to operate said carrier and cylinder, an auxiliary support hinged to said mainframe to swing in a horizontal direction, an ink-distributing mechanism on said support, a supplementary support hinged to said main-frame to swing in a horizontal direction, and a sheet supply pile support, a registration feed-board, and a sheet feeder to convey the sheets from the pile to the board all mounted on said supplemental support,

substantially as described.

12. In a printing-press, the combination of a main-frame, a form-carrier and an impression-cylinder on said main-frame, means to operate said carrier and cylinder, a sheet-feeding mechanism constructedto remove the topmost sheets individually from a pile and deliver them in succession to said cylinder, and a hinged mounting for said sheet-feeding mechanism permitting the latter to be swung outwardly horizontally away from the cylinder, substantially as described.

13. In a printing-press, the combination of a mainframe, a form-carrier and an impression-cylinder on said main-frame, means to operate said carrier and cylinder, an auxiliary support hinged to said mainframe to swing in a horizontal direction and a sheet-feeding mechanism on said support designed to remove the topmost sheets individually from a pile and deliver them in succession to said cylinder. substantially as described.

14. In a printing-press, the combination of a main-frame. a form carrier and an impression-cylinder on said main-frame, means to operate said carrier and cylinder, a sheetfeeding mechanism constructed to remove the topmost sheets individually from a pile and deliver them in succession to said cylinder including a sheet pile support, a sheet-registration board. means to feed the sheets individually from the pile to said board, and means to operate said board, and a hinged mounting for said sheet-feeding mechanism permitting the latter to be swung outwardly away from the cylinder, substantially as described.

15. In a vertical bed printing-press, the combination of an upright reciprocatory printing-form bed, means to reciprocate said bed, an impression-cylinder cooperating with said bed, form-inking rollers. a sheetfeeding mechanism constructed to remove the topmost sheets individually from a pile and deliver them in succession to said cylinder including a supply pile support, a registration feed-board and a sheet-feeder, a hinged mounting for said sheet-feeding mechanism permitting the latter to be swung outwardly away from the cylinder in a horizontal direction. an ink-fountain and associated distributing-drum and cooperating rollers, means to revolve said distributingdrum, and a hinged mounting for said inkfountain and its associated drum and rollers permitting them to be swung outwardly in a horizontal plane away from the form-inking rollers in a direction the opposite of the opening movement of the mounting for said sheet'feeding mechanism, said distributing-drum rotating means beingoperative in all positions of said latter hinged mounting. substantially as described.

EDIVARD F. DUDLEY. 

